Our Simple Dramas
by LucyLuna
Summary: What happens when you give a little girl a biscuit? She wants another, of course. However, how they go about getting that biscuit is as different as each girl. Plus an additional scene with Severus and his mother. Part VI of Family Branches.
1. Darla

_Our Simple Dramas_

* * *

Darla had not even brushed the crumbs from her last biscuit away from her mouth when she turned her big, dark eyes on Severus and asked, "Can I have 'nother biscuit?"

He chuckled and continued to put the lid on the jar the baked goods were stored in. While levitating it up to its spot on the shelf in their kitchen, he said to his sister, "I think not."

Darla began to pout. "Why not?"

"You just had one!"

She tilted her head at his remark and he could just barely see the little cogs working double-time behind her shadowy irises. Voice lilting experimentally, she inquired, "Can I have 'nother… later?"

Severus was growing exasperated. Were all little children so intense about trivial matters like having a second biscuit? He nearly called for Edie to come and deal with his sister, but at the last minute decided against it. He knew his twins' routine well and a glance at the clock hung opposite him showed it was half-past noon. Edie was likely just finished feeding them and now laying them down for a kip. He'd upset their schedule if he bothered her now (and Severus knew better than to do that after the last time where Edie threatened to leave him in charge of putting the girls to sleep until they were back on a regular timetable).

Returning his gaze to his sister, he saw that Darla was still staring at him, eyes expectant and hopeful. Severus began to weigh the pros and cons of each answer. She might be a little annoying if he said no, but he was confident that she'd be over it within ten or so minutes. While if he said yes, he could make later hours from now and avoid a fit altogether. Severus was particularly swayed by that thought. Perhaps she'd even forget she was owed one by then. Though, he reckoned it was highly unlikely. Darla had excellent recall. Severus could dream, anyhow, couldn't he?

"Yes, you can have another biscuit after dinner," he told her.

Darla's voice took a whinging edge. "That's _forever_ from now!"

Severus scowled, irritated that his sister was going to throw a strop even after he agreed to give her another biscuit. Maybe he ought to tell her that'd she'd lost the chance to have another biscuit thanks to her complaining. She _was_ starting to sound rather spoilt and there should be consequences for that. Yet… He didn't want to come down hard on Darla if he didn't have to. It would make him feel far too much like their father – even if he didn't slap her as Dad would have. After a moment of consideration, he decided to let Darla choose whether she'd have another biscuit today or no. "You could have no more biscuits at all today," he offered as he looked down his nose at her in warning.

His sister's entire being shifted at his threat. Now upright and eyes wide, she assured him, voice high-pitched, "I'd like one after dinner, please!"

"I thought as much," Severus snorted, letting up on his glare and quietly pleased that he didn't have to renege on the second biscuit after dinner. Beckoning his sister to his side, he suggested, "Now, to pass the time, why don't we go see if Edie's finished putting down the twins? Perhaps if she has we could all play a game of Snitch Snatcher!."

Darla beamed; any hint of her ill-mood was entirely gone. "Okay!"

* * *

 **This is a small something I've been piecing together for a while. I thought it'd be a cute way to showcase all of the girls and give a little more of a view into their personalities. How did you enjoy Darla's chapter?**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Lottie

_Our Simple Dramas_

* * *

Just as Severus finished putting away the biscuit jar, Lottie skipped into the kitchen, her blue eyes impish. Coming to an abrupt stop beside him, she threw her arms around his legs and smiled up at him. "Sev, can I have 'nother biscuit?"

He was partly amused by her blatant manipulation and partly charmed. Severus gave the top of her head an affectionate pat before he said (with some true regret, he always did like to reward the girls for cunning – no matter how hamfisted it may be at times), "You've had enough sweets today. Perhaps tomorrow."

Lottie's eyes grew large and just a little watery. "Half a biscuit?"

Severus shook his head at her. "No."

His daughter let go of him, and put her hands together in the irksome, begging way children did when they were about to become annoying in their pursuit for a treat or a toy. "Pleeease?"

"No, Lottie," he said once more, harshening his features into the firm expression Severus wore most often around his potions students.

She began to pout. "I wanna biscuit!" whinged Lottie.

He sighed, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. This was Lottie, when she set her sights on something and didn't get her way there was only one way things would end. "And I'd like you to not throw a strop over a simple no, but I imagine neither of us is going to get our wish, are we?" Severus grumbled.

Just as he expected, when Lottie did not hear the magic word (yes) or have a biscuit handed to her, she turned bright red. Loudly, Lottie began to yell, "I wanna biscuit! I wanna biscuit!"

Severus leaned back against the counter and cast a silencing charm over his three-year-old daughter. There was no reason to upset Eileen and Essie in the next room with their sister's caterwauling. Settling in for the show, he watched with blase eyes as she stomped around the kitchen, scarlet and screaming what was surely "I wanna biscuit!" for over ten minutes before sitting down on the stone floor to cry a little.

Once Severus was sure Lottie was done imitating a banshee, he undid his silencing charm on her. Crouching down next to the girl, he asked, "Would you like to go do a puzzle with your sisters?"

"Uh-huh," she mumbled with the droop of defeat to her shoulders. Lottie then raised her arms up in a silent request to be carried and comforted.

Agreeably, Severus swung her up onto his hip. He then gave her back a pat before he took them out of the kitchen to play with Eileen and Essie.

* * *

 **Your thoughts on Lottie's chapter?**

 **Thank you guys very much for reading!**


	3. Eileen

_Our Simple Dramas_

* * *

Severus quirked his mouth into a half-smile when he saw Eileen, taut and twitchy, wander into the kitchen. His daughter cast a furtive glance at the shelf where the biscuit jar was kept before turning to him. Fingers fidgeting with one of the pleats of her skirt, the six-year-old asked, "Sev, can I have a glass of water?"

He was not daft, Eileen was in the midst of a plot. Though, a poor one; getting a glass of water would take him all of thirty seconds, while anything to do with the biscuit jar would take far longer – even with the aid of magic. "Of course," replied Severus. "Come here."

Eileen shifted from foot to foot, bunching up her skirt in her hands so the waistband grew even tighter around her middle. "I wanna have the water here."

Amused, he asked her, "How long do you think it will take me to get you water, Eileen?"

His daughter furrowed her brows briefly before it seemed to dawn on her she was found out. Meekly, Eileen mumbled "I dunno."

Bending down to her height, Severus reached behind his daughter and pulled Darla's new wand out from the waistband of Eileen's skirt. Eyes big and horrified, Eileen said nothing as he spun the instrument in his hand. He knew he ought to be cross, scold her, and send her out, but Severus did none of those things. Instead, he asked Eileen, "Does Darla know you took her wand?"

"It fell between the sofa cushions when her an' Lottie were ticklin' each other. I took it when they went to our room to find Lottie's matchin' game to play."

He nodded. "I see." Tapping the wand on his knee, he told her, "If you wish to hide that you have a wand on your person, do not draw attention to it by fussing with the part of you it is hidden."

"'Kay," she replied. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she questioned, "…Am I in trouble?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, demanding her honesty with his gaze alone. "Should you be?"

"Yeah. I was gonna accio the biscuit jar to me an' take one," she admitted, face red as she lowered her gaze to her stocking-covered toes.

Severus sighed and closed his eyes. He had expected that was Eileen's plan. If she had succeeded he would have punished her and while she hadn't, she shouldn't have taken her aunt's wand nor tried to deceive him with her request for water. A decision reached, Severus opened his eyes. "I agree, you are in trouble," he told her, "you shouldn't have taken what it isn't yours or tried to fool me. You will be going straight to bed after dinner tonight instead of having pudding with your sisters and Darla first."

Eileen drooped where she stood. "'Kay."

Standing up, he offered his free hand to Eileen. "Come along, let's go give Darla her wand back and warn her to be more careful with it."

His daughter nodded as she took his fingers in her own. "Yes, Sev."

* * *

 **Did you like Eileen's attempt at being sneaky?**

 **Thank you very much for reading!**


	4. Essie

_Our Simple Dramas_

* * *

When Severus walked into the kitchen his heart nearly stuttered to a stop at the sight before him. Essie was teetering precariously on one of the room's lowest shelves holding dishware and attempting to grab the jar of biscuits above her head with one arm. Wasting no time, Severus darted forward and grabbed his daughter off the shelf before her feet slipped out beneath her.

"What in the Hell do you think you are doing?" he thundered at Essie as he turned her around and gave her a shake.

His own eyes stared back at him, large and terrified. Severus was still more furious than he had felt in ages, but now horrific guilt began to overwhelm him too. He had never wanted to inspire such fear in any of his children or Darla, and, yet, here Severus was. His four-year-old was shaking beneath his hands, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes as she stammered, "I… I!"

Abruptly he set her down and turned away. While he worked on calming himself down, Severus listened to his daughter blubber. He ignored the way Essie pulled on his robe, begging him to not be cross with her, apologizing over and over, and promising to be good if he'd just say something to her. As agonizing as it was to ignore Essie's distress, Severus did so for both of them.

When his blood was no longer pulsing in his ears he turned around to face Essie. She'd quieted her crying and was now hugging herself as she stared at Severus, eyes hurt, but hopeful. His daughter was about to receive one of the worst scoldings in her young life, but, first, he felt he ought to apologize for his roughness. Kneeling down next to Essie, he said, "I am sorry for scaring and shaking you."

"It's okay, Sev," Essie sniffled.

Severus shook his head. "It's not and that is why I am apologizing to you. No matter what you did or will do, I should have and should never put my hands on you in such a way."

His daughter gave a jerky nod, agreeing more to appease him than because she understood. Severus sighed. This would be something he'd have to work with Essie on in the years to come. She was his obliger and would give in or say yes just to make another happy and that was simply no good. He wanted her to think for herself and act for herself, not others. Now, however, was not the time to press this issue.

"Why were you climbing the shelves?"

Essie looked away from him.

He gripped her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. Severus didn't want to be hard with Essie after terrifying her, but knew if he wanted an answer from her, some firmness was in order. "Esther."

"…Wanna'd a biscuit an' knew you'd say no."

Severus ran a hand through his hair, aggravated, but determined not to let his irritation show. He'd scared Essie enough today and he was not going to frighten her further. "You are right," he said, "I would have. You already had two today. Now, because of your disobedience and dangerous behavior, you'll go to your room and stay there until dinner."

Essie nodded, looking properly contrite. "Yes, Sev. I'm sorry."

Standing back up, Severus ran a hand over his daughter's head. "Apology accepted. Do not do it again. You could have killed yourself if you fell wrong."

"Okay," she replied before leaving the kitchen. Severus didn't bother to go out and watch her walk to her room. Essie was far too obedient to disobey him now that he'd given her a punishment. Instead, he went to one of the room's chairs and sat down. There, he let himself shake and play the scene he'd walked into over and over in front of his mind's eye for a time. Then Severus tucked it all away into a little black box conjured by his mind and locked it away with the help of occlumency.

He hoped Essie had learned her lesson and would never scare him like that again.

* * *

 **What did you think of Essie's chapter?**

 **Thank you all for reading :)**


	5. Calliope

_Our Simple Dramas_

* * *

"I'm never going to understand it! That's not all either. You should have been there to see what those bloody Weasley twins–"

Severus was cut off mid-rant by a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw it was Calliope. She was hugging her mooncalf toy to her chest and smiling at him. "Sev, can I have a biscuit for No-Ears?"

He looked at the well-loved (and earless) toy in his youngest's hand. This was without a doubt a ploy for another biscuit after already having two today. However, it was a clever one. None of the older girls or Darla had ever tried to trick him into giving them another biscuit on the behalf of another (toy or otherwise). Deciding to play along, he shared an amused glance with Edie, who was sipping quietly at her tea. She lifted her lips in a small smile around the rim of her cup, understanding his intentions without him even having to speak.

"Why does No-Ears need a biscuit?" he asked.

Calliope turned her toy around and stared into its glass bead eyes. "He's never had one an' was curious what they tasted like."

"Hmm…" he replied as if he was thinking over this new information. "Have you tried describing it to your t– er, No-Ears?"

Returning her mooncalf to its place beneath her chin she nodded firmly. "Uh-huh. That's why he wants to try one for himself."

Severus put a hand to his chin. "Do you think mooncalves should be eating biscuits?"

"A taste can't hurt," Calliope insisted earnestly.

"How 'bout half a biscui' then?" Edie broke in as she levitated the jar holding the baked good over to them.

Aghast, he hissed at his wife, "Edie!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "A lil'spoilin' now an' then won' hur' her any," she muttered back. "'Sides she's bein' awfully precious."

Severus couldn't disagree with that statement. Calliope was being quite endearing right now. If Edie wanted to spoil her for the behavior, well… She had a say in how they raised the girls too. If this was something she wanted to encourage in Calliope, so be it. He'd teach her when they were alone that this was behavior he wouldn't stand for – even if Edie would.

With a sigh, Severus stepped back and watched on as his wife broke up a biscuit and gave half to his extremely giddy daughter. Calliope shifted her toy in her hands and held the biscuit to the toy's "mouth". After a minute, she remarked, "I don't think he likes it."

"Who would have thought?" Severus muttered while Edie gave him a sharp look.

Their daughter held the biscuit back out to them. "You can put it back," she told them.

"Absolutely no'," Edie said. "Tha's go' yehr germs all over it. Yeh can have it."

She grinned, looking between the two of them and the baked good. "Really?"

"Yes, Calliope," Severus answered, coming to put an arm around his wife's waist. Edie leaned into his shoulder as he lectured, "Just this once, mind you. The next time one of your mates wants to know what a biscuit tastes like, they'll have to be satisfied with your description of it."

Eyes bright, his daughter said through a biscuit-filled mouth, "M'kay Sev."

* * *

 **Did you like how Calliope managed to get herself another biscuit unlike the rest?**

 **Thank you for reading :)**


	6. (plus one) Severus

_Our Simple Dramas_

* * *

While walking hand and hand with his mother on their way to the charity shop down Main Street, Cokeworth, Severus's bored eye was ensnared by a colorful display of biscuits in the bakery's glass window. He knew better than to ask for one, but couldn't entirely stop himself from slowing down to stare at the baked goods. He could see there were several different kinds, some had blue icing, others pink, while to the right of there were ones with chunks of chocolate or maybe raisins in them, as well as some more brown-hued biscuits to the right of those that he was curious about. Were they burnt? Or did they have something in them that made them so much darker than the others?

"Severus," his mother called, tone sharp.

He winced. Severus must have gotten too slow while he was distracted and now, his mother was cross with him. Contritely, he looked up at her. "Sorry, Mummy."

The tension around her eyes dissipated and she released a quiet breath. Briefly, she glanced over at the bakery. "What's caught your eye today, love?"

He hesitated. They didn't have money for new clothes every time he outgrew something; why would they for a biscuit? Telling his mother what grabbed his attention felt mean. She wouldn't be able to buy it for him any more than she could a shirt sometimes. So, averting his gaze to his toes, Severus said, "Just a bird."

"Hmm," she replied. Through his fringe, he stared at his mother. She was still looking in the direction of the bakery. "Are you sure it wasn't the biscuits in the window?"

Severus stiffened. Then, fiercely, he shook his head. "Nuh-huh."

His mother sighed loudly. "Shame. I've been saving for a special treat for a very good little boy and those biscuits look like they would make a smashing treat for him."

He gaped at her in disbelief. "Really?" he whispered.

She smiled. "Yes, love." His mother gave his hand a light tug. "Now, why don't we go inside so you can pick one out, hm?"

Feeling lighter than a cloud, Severus bound into the bakery, grinning delightedly as he got to go and press his nose against the glass separating him the baked goods. After no small amount of deliberation, he pointed at one he was sure had raisins in it and said, "That one, please."

"Here you are lad," the fat man behind the counter said as he gave him the treat.

He took it with both hands and sucked in the sweet, slightly spicy smell of the biscuit. Severus smiled at the man. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the bakery man replied. Turning his attention to Severus's mother to accept the money she was pushing at him, he told her, "You've got a polite lad, there."

"Thank you," his mother said, smirking with pleasure. "I'm very proud of him."

Severus thought the taste of warm raisin and dough in his mouth was wonderful, but their sweetness had nothing on his mother's praise. Warm from mouth to toes thanks to the biscuit and compliment, Severus followed his mother happily out of the shop. A few minutes later when he had finished his treat, he took his mother's hand once more.

"I love you, Mummy."

She faltered a moment in her stride, eyes flickering down to him as if she was checking to make sure it was him who spoke. After she regained her composure, she smiled and drew him close to comb her fingers through his limp hair and press a kiss to his exposed forehead. "And I you."

* * *

 **And we end with a little throwback to Severus! How'd you like it?**

 **Thank you very much for reading!**


End file.
